Senate Bill 2886

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-173-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ALLOW THE PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN OF A STUDENT TO CHOOSE TO ENROLL A STUDENT IN AND TRANSPORT THE STUDENT TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN AN ADJACENT SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH HAS AVAILABLE SPACE AND HAS A PROGRAM WITH SERVICES THAT PROVIDE DAILY DYSLEXIA THERAPY SESSIONS DELIVERED BY A CERTIFIED ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPIST; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-173-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-173-9. (1) (a) The parent or legal guardian is not required to accept the offer of enrolling in another public school in lieu of requesting a Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship to a nonpublic school. However, if the parent or legal guardian chooses the public school option, the student may continue attending a public school chosen by the parent or legal guardian until the student completes Grade 12.

(b) If the parent or legal guardian chooses a public school within the district, the school district shall provide transportation to the public school selected by the parent or legal guardian. However, if the parent or legal guardian chooses a public school in another district, the parent or legal guardian is responsible to provide transportation to the school of choice.

These provisions do not prohibit a parent or legal guardian of a student diagnosed with dyslexia, at any time, from choosing the option of a Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship which would allow the student to attend another public school or nonpublic special purpose school.

(2) If the parent or legal guardian chooses the nonpublic school option and the student is accepted by the nonpublic school pending the availability of a space for the student, the parent or legal guardian of the student must notify the department thirty (30) days before the first scholarship payment and before entering the nonpublic school in order to be eligible for the scholarship when a space becomes available for the student in the nonpublic school.

(3) The parent or legal guardian of a student may choose, as an alternative, to enroll the student in and transport the student to a public school in an adjacent school district which has available space and has a program with dyslexia services that provide daily dyslexia therapy sessions delivered by a department licensed dyslexia therapist or certified academic language therapist, and that school district shall accept the student and report the student for purposes of the district's funding under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.